Safety razor



April 21, 1936. J, MCWILLIAMS SAFETY RAZOR Filed June 2, 1935 uNvENToR JOSEPH E. MC WILLIAMS BY HIS ATTORNEYS struction dsclbsed in Patented Apr. 2l, 1936 UNITE-D STATES PATENT oFFlcE to American Safety Razor Corporation, kBrooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of.'Virgi1ia Application June 2,' 1933, Serial No. 674,089

9 Claims.

Thisrinvention relates 'to safety razors and more particularly razors of the type in which a single edge blade is held in position on the blade seat by a pivoted cover and it is an object of 'this invention to provide a razor of the type described of improved construction and having a cover provided with means which engagewi'th 'the blade to 'positively position the blade in the proper shaving position. It is also an object of this invention to provide a blade of such construction that it will-cooperate with the cover during `the closing movement of the cover so as to bepositively positioned thereby.

This :invention is an improvement of the conthe United States Patent to vDalkovvitz No. 1,773,614.

In the drawing:-

Figs. 1, '2, `3, and 4 are partial vertical sectio'rrsof a razor constructed in accordance with this invention and. showing different positiens of A`thecover in its movement towards closed position Awhen a blade is in position in the razor;

Fig. 5 'is a View vsimilar to Figs.- 1 to 4 ibut show in'g' the limit of movement of the cover towards closed-position when no blade or a blade ofiniproper construction is inthe razor;

Fig.6 `'isa horizontal section taken through the cover above the blade seat as on the line 6-8 of Fig. 1 and showing the seat in plan View;

Fig. 7 is al lhorizontal section taken on line T "I of Fig. 4 and showing a blade in position on the blade seat; and

Figs, 8 and 9 are plan Views of blades designed to cooperate with the holder of Figs. 1 to 5.

Iii the drawing the invention is shown applied to ia safety razor of the type shown in the patent to"Dalkowi`tz, No. 1,773,614, issued August 19, 1'9'30, comprising a 'blade seat I having a hollow stern portion 2 which is secured to the tubular handle a. Along one edge of the seat extends a gliard'portion 5 at the ends of which are the stops 4 wliich position the blade 6 for shaving. Rotatably mounted in the seat I is a shaft 8 havlng a pinion I0 thereon which meshes with the rack portion I2 of a wedge I4. At the ends of the shaft 8 are the xed arms I6 to which, at their outer ends, is pivotally connected a cover I8. The wedge I4 has a projection 20 provided with a cam face 22 which is engaged by the conical cam face 24 of the pin 26 mounted in the handle 3 and projecting from the free end thereof. The pin 26 has a screw-thread engagement with the handle 3 and is moved longitudinally of the handle by rotation therein. A spring 28, confined between the wall of the hollow stem portion 2 and a face ofthe projection or abutment 20 tends to force the wedge I4 to the left as shown in Figures 1 to 5. The blade '6, as shown in Figs. 1-8 inclusive is 'of the single edge type having a cutting edge 29 and a reinforcement 3l) which embraces `the opposite edge of the blade and eX- tends from end to end of the blade. At its center the reinforcement 30 is partly cut away exposing the blade at this point and leaving a narro-w connecting portion 32 which forms an abutmentabove'the exposed portion of the blade. The seat I is cut away to forma recess to receive the reinforcement and permit the blade to lie ilat on the blade seat. The recessis of slightly greater 34`7formed thereby `isslightly Yin advance of the extreme 'positionV of fthe reinforcement when `the' bladefis in proper shaving position. The seat I is 'also recessed at its center to 'form a shoulder 36 in b'aclr of the vshoulder "34. To ensure the blade being lield iin the proper shaving -position when the cover I8 is in closed position there is provided a' pawl38 pivotally mounted, as at 39, on the cover I8 `and, positioned in line with the abutment 32 of a kblade properly positioned on the blade seat. In the open position o'f thecover I8 the pawl 38 ld'oesnot extend over the blade seat sufficiently to interfere with the insertion or remova'l o'f fa blade.

In the modied form of blade shown in Fig. r9 an abutment 42 is secured to the blade Jin position to be engaged by the pawl. The abutment 42 may be' secured to the blade in any suitable manner or be in the yform of a rivet.

In the operation of the razor, with the razor in vthe open position and a blade on the blade seat, as shown in Fig. l, rotating the stem 26 to move the stem towards the wedge I4 causes the cam surface 24 -of the stem to 'force the Wedge I4 to the right by its engagement with the cam face 22, the abutment 20 compressing the spring 28. Movementof the 4wedge I 4to the Aright causes the rack` portion- 'I'2 thereof Vto rotate the shaft 8 and the crank arms I6, and by reason of the pivotal engagement thereof with the cover and the contact of abutments 40 therewith causes the crank arms I6 to shift the cover I8 toward the blade seat I, eventually bringing the cover to the position shown in Fig, 3, in which the cover I8 bears against the blade 6 and the wedge I4 is about to pass beneath the rear edge I8a of the cover. As the cover I8 is brought to this position the pawl 38 drops and rests upon the blade 6 in back of the abutment 32. As the Wedge I4 is operated to pass beneath the rear edge of the cover I8, the crank arms I6 shift the cover I8 along the blade 6 and the pawl 38 engaging with the abutment 32 forces the blade 6 into engagement with the stops 4, thus positioning the blade for shaving and securing the blade firmly in position, the pawl being held by the cover I8 which is secured in position by the wedge I4 engaging the rear edge I8a of the cover.

Reversing the rotation of the stem 26 permits the spring 28 to force the wedge III to the left, withdrawing the wedge from beneath the rear edge of the cover I8 and operating the crank arms I6 to at first slide the cover on the blade 6 until the, abutments 48 in the sides of the cover engage with the crank arms I6 whereupon, the Wedge having been withdrawn from beneath the rear edge of the cover, the cover is rotated about the shaft 8. This movement of the cover I8 withdraws the pawl 38 from engagement with the abutment 32 and leaves the blade 6 free to be. removed from the razor. Where blades which lack the abutment 32 are used, the pawl 38 will be ineffective to position the blade against the stops 4, and where the rear edge of the. blade is cut so as to provide an abutment the pawl 38 will drop below the edge of the blade and engage with the shoulder 36 unless supported by the blade and stop the movement of the cover I8 towards the blade in a position such as shown in Figure 5, in which the blade is not held either by the cover I8 or the pawl 38, thus giving a clear indication to the user that the razor is not properly adjusted for shaving.

What is claimed is:- Y

Y 1. In a safety razor, ablade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting saidv cover from said seat, means operating said cover towards said seat, a blade on said seat having an abutment thereon and a gravity operated pawl on said coverV engaging said abutment to operate said blade to a predetermined position on said seat as said cover is moved toward said seat.

2. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting said cover from said seat, means operating said cover towards said seat and a pawl on said cover for securing a blade in a predetermined position on said seat when said cover is in closed position and a shoulder on said seat engageable by said pawl to limit closing of 1 said cover.

3. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting said cover from said seat, means operating said cover towards said seat, a pawl pivotally mounted on said cover,r a shoulder on said seat engageable by said pawl to prevent movement of said cover to seat engaging position and a blade on said seat having an abutment engageable by said pawl said cover is moved into engagement with said seat, said blade preventing engagement of said shoulder by said pawl.

4. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, mea-ns pivotally supporting said cover from said seat,

to position said blade as means operating said cover to engage said seat, a pawl pivotally mounted on said cover, a blade on said seat having an abutment located inward-v ly of the rear edge of said blade and engageable by said pawl to position said blade as said cover is moved toward said seat, said blade supporting said pawl while said pawl engages said abutment.

5. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting said cover from said seat, means operating said cover to and from said seat, a pawl pivotally mounted on said cover, means onsaid seat engageable by said pawl to limit movement of said cover toward said seat and a blade on said seat having an abutment engageable by said pawl to position said blade on said seat as said cover is moved towards said seat, said blade preventing engagement of said pawl with said seat and the limiting of the movement of said cover towards said seat.

6. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting said cover from said seat, means operating said cover to and from closed position on said seat, a blade on said seat, a reinforcement along the rear edge of said blade having a recess therein forming an abutment and a pawl pivotally mounted on said cover and movi able to rest on said blade in engagement with said abutment to position said blade as said cover is moved to closed position.

7. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting said cover from said seat, means operating said cover to and from said seat, a blade on said seat having an abutment thereon and a pawl pivotally mounted on said cover and movable to rest on said blade in engagement with said abutment to position said blade as said cover is moved to closed position.

8. A blade comprising a shaving edge along one end and a reinforcing member along the other end, said member being raised above the blade body and having a portion thereof extending inwardly from said end cut away so as to present an abutment shoulder spaced inwardly along the unbroken surface of the blade from said other end for a substantial distance, whereby an advancing element brought into and held in engagement with said blade surface within said cut-away portion and moved forwardly, will slide along said surface and will then engage said abutment and advance the blade and will be supported above the blade. body by the adjacent blade surface during said motion.

9. In a safety razor, a blade seat, a cover, means pivotally supporting said cover from said seat, means operating said cover to and from said wat, a shoulder on said seat, a pawl pivotally mounted on said cover and engageable with said shoulder to limit closing of said cover and a blade on said seat having an abutment thereon engageable by said pawl to position said blade upon movement of said cover to closed position, said blade preventing engagement of said pawl and shoulder.

JOSEPH E. MCWILLIAMS.'

blade body having a Y 

